Page 78 of Forbidden Desires

Frantically, his eyes search the empty room. Then he pulls me along with him toward the hole in the wall where the window should be, covered with a loose sheet of translucent plastic. What the hell is he thinking? Mason’s arm snakes around my middle, pulling me into his body up against the wall as he looks outside.

He glances back at me. "They probably have us surrounded, sweetheart. What they don’t know is that I’m happy to shoot every last fucker who gets in my way. The two of us are getting out of here together," he says, determination etched on his face. With a swift motion, he produces a box cutter from his back pocket and slices through this plastic shielding the room from the elements. The salt spray licks at my face, signaling just how exposed the room is.

“Please, Mason,” I try again to calm him, fear coursing through my body. The only way out of this room now is down, and we’re four stories up. I’m sure by now Brody will be out there; he would do anything to save me. I don’t want him to get hurt.

Panic takes over as I watch him shove plastic out of the way. I catch sight of the drop straight down to the outdoor deck and swimming pool area, and an unexpected wave of dizziness surrounds me, causing the room to spin. The ground beneath my feet feels unsteady, my vision blurs, and the white walls of the room become distant and hazy. Attempting to steady myself, I grip onto a nearby surface, but it feels ephemeral, slipping through my fingers like mist.

“Gisele.” Mason’s words are far away and jumbled together. “Gisele, sweetheart.”

I’m not sure what’s happening to me, but the strange sensation intensifies, accompanied by a growing sense of lightheadedness. I feel so weak. The world fades into darkness,and the last thing I remember is the sensation of falling and his arms catching me.

I wake up when I hear shouting.

“Step away from her, asshole,” comes Brody’s voice from somewhere behind me. I glance toward him and see that the door to the room has been thrown off its hinges and there he stands with a detective by his side. Something else catches my eye—Mason’s gun.

He must have put his gun down to help me when I passed out. It’s right next to me, my body in the way. His eyes flick from me to it, and without thinking, I snatch it up. With shaky hands, I aim it toward him. Tears stream down my face as I scramble away from him. “Don’t come near me or I will shoot you,” I warn.

Mason stares at me, his eyes wide, weighing his options. "No, Gisele, this is not how it’s going to go."

"Just do what they say, Mason. This is all so crazy. No one needs to get hurt. We just do what they say, and everything will all be fine," I sob, my vision blurring.

Brody comes farther into the room, and I can feel him right behind me. "Mason, listen to me. Step away from Gisele. You don't want to do this. We can work through whatever it is that's driving you to do this," he says, his voice commanding but calm.

He shakes his head slowly, stepping away, but his eyes are still focused on me. "I’m not living in his shadow anymore, Gisele. You don’t understand what it’s like," he pleads with me.

"You don’t have to. We all know who you are now, everything is out in the open. No more lies. Everything will work out now. You’ll see." I offer a half-smile, trying to convince him he’ll be okay.

His eyes dart around the room, like a caged animal about to go feral.

Brody moves past me, positioning himself in front of me, with his attention solely on Mason. I get that you're feeling trapped,but this isn't the escape route. There are people who want to help you. Please let them.”

“Distance yourself from Gisele and make your way toward the door.” Another voice, this time from a man in a uniform. The police are outside as well, closing in on him.

Our eyes meet. "Please, Mason. Let’s just do what they say," I beg. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I understand he's been backed into a desperate situation by his mother, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.

He takes another step back toward the opening in the wall. What is he doing? “Maybe in another lifetime, Gisele. I’ll see you there,” he says sadly before stepping backwards out the window.

I gasp, and when his body disappears, I scream, the sound echoing off the empty room walls. I drop the gun, my hands too shaky to hold it any longer.

I crumple to my knees, tears streaming down my cheeks. Strong arms wrap around me, and I realize Brody is right here with me, pulling me into his body.

“It’s okay, sweet pea. Everything’s going to be alright. I have you.” He hugs me close, and I sob into his chest. We stay like this for some time, my body feeling too weak to move. Eventually he helps me to stand, moving me away from the window, wrapping a jacket around my shaking shoulders. I slip my arms into it, suddenly freezing cold. He ushers me out of the room, past uniformed police, their faces all a blur.

Once we arrive at the ground floor. Paisley and Mae come running toward me, embracing me tightly. Their scared faces say it all.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, we were so worried.”

“When Parker called, I feared the worst,” Paisley admits.

“I’m okay, just a bit shaken up,” I tell them, not wanting a fuss. But I’m not okay. I thought the worst in there. I thought he wasgoing to take me out that window with him, both of us plunging to our death. Nausea rolls in my stomach.

“We need to get you somewhere quiet,” Brody says, his voice hushed, and I realize the ground floor hallway is packed with people: uniformed police conducting interviews with staff, friends I recognize and others I don’t.

Brody wraps an arm around me, guiding me away from the chaos and down toward reception. I’m not sure where he’s taking me, but I go with him.

I make out a woman coming toward us in a hotel uniform. “Emerson,” I cry when I realize it’s her.

She wraps a comforting arm around me. “Are you alright?” She looks me over with concern.

---